1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to beverage and cup holders. In particular, the present invention relates to beverage holders for use with vehicles having handlebars, such as motorcycles, bicycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, boats, lawnmowers, and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beverage holders for use in automotive vehicles are well known. Such beverage holders are typically designed to support the beverage container from the bottom, with sidewalls provided to restrain horizontal movement of the container. Most modem automotive vehicles, for example, have integrated beverage container holders in the form of depressions or retractable trays in the vehicle body. Such beverage holders allow vehicle occupants to free up their hands for other tasks, such as driving, eating, reading, etc., and to minimize spillage of beverages within the vehicle.
A similar need exists for beverage holders for use with vehicles having handlebars, such as motorcycles, bicycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, boats, lawnmowers, and the like. These vehicles are typically not equipped with integrated beverage holders, and therefore must be retrofitted with after-market beverage holders.
Examples of beverage holders for attaching to handlebars are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,835 issued to Criqui et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,687 issued to Lynch. Both of these prior art beverage holders include clamp structures for mounting to the handlebars of a bicycle or the like. However, these and other conventional beverage holders lack an adjustable mounting system that allows the beverage holder to be retrofitted and properly positioned for a wide variety of different handlebar arrangements. Conventional beverage holders also fail to provide a system which is sufficiently durable, functional, versatile, and attractive to satisfy consumers in the marketplace.
Thus, there is a need in the industry for an improved beverage holder which can be retrofit to vehicles having handlebars and the like and which solves the problems with the conventional beverage holders described above.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage holder that can be attached to and fully adjusted to accommodate a wide variety of handlebar shapes and configurations, as well as a variety of user preferences.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beverage holder that is durable, functional, versatile, attractive, economical to manufacture, capable of a long operating life, and particularly well suited for use with vehicles having handlebars.
In order to solve the problems with the prior art described above, an improved beverage holder has been developed having an adjustable mounting system. The beverage holder includes a cylindrical-shaped cup member and a clamp assembly which are secured together using a threaded fastening member. The cup member has a recessed portion offset outwardly from the sidewall, and a slotted opening formed in the recessed portion which extends along a length of the cup member. The fastening member extends through the slotted opening and into a corresponding opening in the clamp assembly. The fastening member is arranged to slide along the slotted opening for vertical adjustment of the cup member relative to the clamp member. The fastening member also allows the cup member to be pivotally adjusted relative to the clamp assembly to adapt to different angles of bars on which the beverage holder is mounted. The cup member has a cutaway portion that allows access to the fastening member during mounting, and also accommodates a handle of a beverage container.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention, a beverage holder is provided, comprising: a cup member having a bottom, a top, and a sidewall extending from the bottom to the top; a clamp assembly adapted to clamp to a bar on which the beverage holder is to be mounted; and an adjustable mounting system connecting the cup member to the clamp assembly. The adjustable mounting system comprises a slotted opening extending vertically along the sidewall of the cup member, and a fastening member extending through the slotted opening and into a corresponding opening in the clamp assembly. The fastening member is arranged to slide along the slotted opening for vertical adjustment of the cup member relative to the clamp member, and allows the cup member to be pivotally adjusted relative to the clamp assembly about an axis of the fastening member to adapt to different angles of bars on which the beverage holder is to be mounted.
Numerous other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, simply by way of illustration of one of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious aspects without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.